Abdellah El Asely

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the team at Original Travels for being so responsive and patient throughout the planning process. Your guidance and attention to detail helped us organize a truly wonderful honeymoon experience in Morocco, and we’re so grateful for your help from start to finish.

A major highlight of our trip was the incredible fortune we had in being paired with Soufiane as our driver. He quickly became a friend and made every part of our journey easier, safer, and more enjoyable. His professionalism, kindness, and insight into Moroccan culture brought great peace of mind and added so much to the experience. We truly cannot express how great he was — a genuine part of what made our trip special.

Marrakesh:
We really enjoyed our time in Marrakesh. Riad Elegancia was beautiful, comfortable and welcoming, with wonderful staff who decorated our room for our honeymoon which was a very nice surprise. We especially have to thank the evening attendant who gave us perfect dinner recommendations. Highlights included our hammam experience at La Mason Arabe and the sunrise hot air balloon ride — both unforgettable. We also loved exploring the square in the evening, surrounded by music, lights, and energy. The guided tour was informative, and wandering the Medina both with and without a guide gave us a great feel for the city.

Ouarzazate:
The drive through the Atlas Mountains was a memorable adventure on its own. When we arrived, an unexpected rain storm changed our plans a bit, so we skipped the movie studio and instead relaxed at the hotel. The staff went above and beyond by decorating our room for our honeymoon, a very thoughtful touch, and a beautiful hotel.

Desert Camp:
The desert camp experience was incredible and unique. The accommodations were very comfortable for the setting, and the food and evening entertainment were excellent. Our only issue was a lack of clear communication from the camp about what to expect from the day tour with them. This tour overall was our least favorite activity of the trip. We were looking forward to spending time with a Berber family and learning about their culture, but our guide clearly did not want us to engage with the local people and it was obvious when he told the women who approached us (at two different camps) not to talk to us. We were prepared to leave some money for them (as was recommended), but we never got the opportunity. For the next stop, we were interested in listening to the local African music, but once we got there, it felt incredibly exploitative. It didn't seem like the musicians ever had a break and the managers (we think?) were clearly pushing them to be more lively. I would love to support this community, but I really encourage anyone with some power to look out for these men and make this a less exploitative experience. Lastly, we were left at a very empty hotel for several hours with limited options. When we arrived at the hotel, it was dark, no one was there except for two sleeping attendants, and our guide said, "OK, you hang out here now, I'll be back in 5 hours. And if you want to swim, pay them 100 Mad (which we did because there was nothing else to do)", and then walked away leaving us standing there confused and uneasy. Our guide also said he had to get back to the camp for work as it was a very busy time with lots of guests, stranding us. The only reason we even had our bathing suits was because the night before we overheard the couple next to us at dinner be told to bring theirs, so we packed one just in case. We never discussed this with our guide (he actually told us not to worry about the tour the night before during the music portion when we asked what the plan was) and if it was up to us, we would not have gone to a pool, at all.

However, we greatly appreciated how quickly Original Travels stepped in when we contacted them and helped arranged an ATV excursion — which turned out to be one of the highlights of the desert portion of our trip and we highly recommend. When we got dropped off to go back to the camp, I could discern a conversation that our driver had with the owner and our guide about this and our guide was not truthful when he said we were the ones who asked to go to the pool early. As stated above, we had never talked with him about it and it was clearly untrue with how fast we tried to find another activity. It also felt uncomfortable for us to be left at a pool when it's clear many villages do not have water in nor around the desert. It seemed a bit unethical and like a really bad thing to do as a visitor to the country. I would not recommend this tour to anyone going to Merzouga.

Outside of this tour; however, we did really enjoy our desert experience. We also want to highlight the kindness shown by the camp in preparing a special honeymoon cake for us our first night that we were able to share with the other guests. They very much went above and beyond in celebrating our honeymoon with a special song and dance and we truly appreciated these gestures and the kindness shown by employees of the camp and the other guests. This cake and music surprise was definitely a trip highlight.

Fez:
Fez was one of our favorite stops. The Riad and its location inside the old city were fantastic, the breakfast at the Riad was delicious, and our guided tour here was the best of the trip. We took our guide’s advice and avoided the Medina at night, but loved exploring it during the day. The city’s energy and authenticity left a lasting impression.

Rabat:
Our stop in Rabat was a great way to break up the drive north, and we were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed seeing Morocco’s coastal side.

Casablanca:
While Casablanca offered fewer tourist sites, we enjoyed our time there, especially visiting the Hassan II Mosque and walking the boardwalk. It was a relaxing way to end our journey. The Mosque is incredible and our dinner, recommended by Souf, was delicious and fun.

Finally, we want to thank Original Travels and Soufiane again for their assistance when our return flight was unexpectedly canceled. Your swift help rearranging our stay near the airport and ensuring we were taken care of right up to our departure was deeply appreciated.

Overall, our honeymoon in Morocco was an unforgettable experience — filled with beauty, culture, warmth, and adventure. We would happily recommend Original Travels and Soufiane to anyone considering exploring Morocco.

Hotel Reviews

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

The desert camp experience was incredible and unique. The accommodations were very comfortable for the setting, and the food and evening entertainment were excellent. The camp fosters a real sense of community and we met some incredible travelers who we really enjoyed getting to know. The staff here were also incredibly friendly and fun. Just be sure to get clear guidance and information before you embark on their desert tour, if that's part of your stay.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Braya

Fes Medina

The Riad and its location inside the old city were lovely, the breakfast at the Riad was delicious (some of the best baked goods I've ever had), and the staff was incredibly nice.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

The staff was incredibly friendly, helpful and clearly cared a lot about our experience.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean, just a little outdated.

Riad Elegancia

Marrakech

Riad Elegancia was beautiful, comfortable and welcoming, with wonderful staff who decorated our room for our honeymoon which was a very nice surprise. We especially have to thank the evening attendant who gave us perfect dinner recommendations.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great location to the markets and felt very safe and welcoming.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Transfer from Fes to Casablanca via Rabat: Journey to Morocco's Modern Heart

Morocco

Guided Tour of Fez Medina

Fes

Loved the medina, our guide and the lunch. This was our favorite tour.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Transfer From Merzouga to Fez

Morocco

Morocco Last Nomads Experience: Tea, Tales & Desert Adventures

Merzouga

This tour was our least favorite activity of the trip. Overall, it felt unorganized and as though we were just being pushed through the different stops. We were looking forward to spending time with a Berber family and learning about their culture, but our guide obviously did not want us to engage with the local people and clearly told the women who approached us (at two different camps) not to talk to us. We were prepared to leave some money (as the tour recommends) for them, but we never got the opportunity.  At the next stop, we were interested in listening to the local African music, but once we got there, it felt incredibly exploitative. The musicians never had a break and the managers (we think?) were clearly pushing them to be more lively. I would love to support this community, but I really encourage anyone with some power to look out for these men and make this a less exploitative experience. Lastly, we were left at a very empty hotel for several hours with limited options. When we arrived at the hotel, it was dark, no one was there except for two sleeping attendants and our guide told us to pay them 100 Mad (which we did) and then walked away leaving us standing there confused and uneasy. However, we greatly appreciated how quickly Original Travels stepped in when we contacted them and helped arranged an ATV excursion — which turned out to be one of the highlights of the desert portion of our trip and we HIGHLY recommend. It felt uncomfortable for us to be left at a pool when it's clear many villages do not have water in nor around the desert. The only reason we even had bathing suits with us was because, the night before, we overheard the couple next to us at dinner be told to bring theirs, so we packed one just in case. We never discussed this with our guide (he actually told us not to worry about the tour when we asked about it the night before during the music portion) and if it was up to us, we would not have gone to a pool, at all. It seemed a bit unethical and like a pretty bad thing to do as a visitor to the country. We would not recommend this tour without some changes.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ouarzazate to Merzouga via Todra Gorge, Erfoud & Rissani

Morocco

Visit Majorelle Gardens

Marrakesh

Half-Day Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride in Marrakech

Marrakesh

Amazing experience, just didn't expect to have so many people in the balloon at the same time. But we met some great folks and it was truly a trip highlight.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our family of 4 had the best vacation exploring Morocco, and doing it with Oussama was truly the way to go. It was a 9 day trip and from start to finish, the experience was smooth and easy—like white glove treatment. Oussama was friendly, thoughtful, and incredibly knowledgeable about the roads, sights, and local highlights. His driving skills were amazing, confidently navigating Morocco’s traffic with ease. He was always prompt and courteous, looking out for our comfort and safety throughout. Traveling in his new, very comfortable van made the long miles effortless. We felt completely cared for and protected in his capable hands. Highly recommend experiencing Morocco this way with Oussama!